Some city council members have voiced concerns over fire department staffing.
The matter surfaced in a recent discussion of the Chattanooga Fire Department's proposed $39.8 million operating budget for fiscal 2017, which represents a $1.4 million - or 3.76 percent - increase over last year. The budget does not include any additional firefighter positions.
Officials said travel expenses, pensions, utility costs and neighborhood engagement programs contributed to the overall increase.
During that discussion, Councilman Ken Smith asked why a request for 14 additional firefighter positions was not included in the budget proposal.
"We have not seen a decrease in safety," said Maura Sullivan, Chattanooga's chief operating officer.
"So, if we would have seen firefighters die in the line of service, we would have deemed it necessary, I suppose," Smith said, citing concerns that a fire truck might deploy with three instead of four firefighters.
The fire trucks run efficiently at current staffing levels and without hurting the city's Insurance Safety Office fire protection ratings, Sullivan said. The operating budget considers fire department staffing standards across the nation and the reality of a tight budget, she said.
The fire department has 411 firefighter positions and currently employs 16 civilians, spokesman Bruce Garner said in an email.
"Currently, we have 393 firefighters, with 18 openings we plan to fill with an academy this September," he said.
The fire department operates 19 stations in Chattanooga, covering a population of 167,674 and 155 square miles.
Smith and Councilman Chip Henderson also questioned growth plans for QRV, a program to use retrofitted SUVs to handle medical emergencies instead of fire trucks.
Chattanooga Fire Chief Chris Adams said the program has no dedicated staff and uses three vehicles, crewed by two personnel when available.
The "ultimate vision" calls for nine vehicles to cover the city's nine council districts, Adams said.
The department has said that quick response vehicles offer several advantages to deploying a fire truck for medical emergencies, including speed, maneuverability and reduced fuel and maintenance costs for the fire trucks.
However, while the program may "look good on paper it may not be as grand as we think it is," Adams said.
A QRV deployment still requires the presence of a fire truck in a number of situations, including emergencies that require the removal of a trapped victim or the ongoing application of CPR, he said.
In April, the City Council authorized the fire department to seek a $1.8 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If awarded, the money will go toward paying 14 firefighters to handle QRV duties.
The fire department comprises 17.3 percent of the $230 million operating budget presented by Mayor Andy Berke on May 17.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.